Photographer Rose-Lynn Fisher's past work has focused on the microscopic realities of our world — the things unseen by us in our everyday lives, but present below the threshold of vision. Her most recent project,
The Topography of Tears
, is a study of over 100 tears, photographed using a standard light microscope.
We cry for different reasons, and the molecular makeup of tears reflects that. We weep psychic tears (grief, disappointment, joy) at extreme emotion; we produce basal tears to protect and lubricate our eyes; we cry reflex tears when we encounter harsh volatile compounds that reach our eyes (like when we cut onions). Unsurprisingly, these tears actually look different under a microscope.
Fisher's project investigates the topography and differences between tears of laughter, joy, grief, change, and more. The photographs are a moving depiction of the the micro and macro aspects of our emotional lives, and a beautiful means of integrating the often separate realms of science and art. Head to Fisher's site to check out examples from the project. (Gizmodo)
